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Srinagar, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Wednesday directed the government to notify the revised 'One Officer, One Car' policy within 15 days, questioning the delay in implementing the measure concerning the use of public assets.
The direction came during a discussion in the Assembly on the implementation of the policy. Rather said the matter involved public resources and could not be kept pending any longer.
He directed Transport Minister Satish Sharma to ensure that the necessary notification was issued within 15 days.
The Speaker also questioned why it had taken nearly five years to act on the issue, saying prolonged delay in dealing with government vehicles amounted to misuse of public resources.
The 'One Officer, One Official Car' policy was introduced by the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance to prevent senior officials from being allotted multiple government vehicles when holding additional charges.
Under the revised framework, an eligible officer is entitled to only one official staff car even when the officer holds additional responsibilities in another department, ministry, public sector undertaking or autonomous body.
Central government officials are also barred from using staff cars belonging to PSUs or autonomous bodies except during authorized official tours or duties.
Departments are required to place surplus or unused vehicles in safe custody rather than allowing their unofficial use.
The policy seeks to reduce expenditure on fuel and vehicle maintenance, prevent misuse of government resources and promote greater fiscal discipline.
Before the revised framework, officials holding additional or temporary charges in multiple departments or PSUs could, in some cases, be provided separate vehicles by different organizations. This could result in a single official having access to two or three government vehicles.
Financial assessments cited in the policy framework put the annual cost of maintaining and servicing a government vehicle at around Rs 3.37 lakh. Officials with multiple vehicles could also exceed the standard monthly fuel entitlement of 250 litres, with combined consumption in some cases reaching up to 750 litres.
The revised framework includes a strict single-vehicle cap, under which an officer already using an official vehicle for the regular post cannot be allotted another vehicle on taking an additional charge elsewhere. The officer is required to use the existing vehicle for official duties.
It also prohibits central government officials from retaining or using staff cars belonging to PSUs, quasi-government organizations or autonomous bodies, except for authorized official tours or duties.
Departments have been directed to place additional or unused vehicles in safe custody to prevent personal or unofficial use.
The framework also encourages departments to consider leasing electric vehicles as part of efforts to optimize government fleets and support a shift toward cleaner mobility.